Child of the Evensun
by EDouble
Summary: A tale of prophecy and faith. JxS
1. Prolouge

Present…

**Present…**

Toby turned to Jareth, "We can't just leave her! We have to go back. Now!" Jareth looked hard into the young man's eyes, so old for his age, then back to the castle beyond the goblin city, the same city which stood in flames around it, licking at the walls. Somewhere in the smoke lay his Sarah. With a silent vow to find his beloved at all costs, Jareth turned back to the boy, the pain of a thousand deaths etched clearly into his ageless face.

Wren rode up on the chestnut mount and swiftly dropped to stand beside her lord, her sparrow hawk, Kiris, landing on her shoulder. "Your majesty, Kiris reports the Standing Stones are ready to receive the refugees. Queen Tiriseelian herself will oversee their entry into Ravenscrie. Please your majesties," Wrenn's expression was tired, and stone cold, but driven as she addressed both the King and the boy, she had a duty to the young man and had made a promise she would keep "we must go now, they are not far behind and we are still an hour's walk away."

Toby's eyes pleaded with Jareth, but there was nothing that could be done. Summoning his strength, Jareth willed his Labyrinth to close the passages that had brought them to the outskirts of his beloved walled kingdom, praying the Wraithe would not be able to follow, praying all the more that his love was safe. Before he could take another step, and knowing in his heart what the boy would do before he would even do it, Jareth used the last of his strength to cast a simple sleeping enchantment on the boy, the word 'no' coming out only as a whisper as Wrenn caught him before he hit the ground.

With a final look to his where only months before he had been enveloped in the promise of life, of love, Jareth and his refugees began the march toward Elven Wood of Ravenscrie, as the sky began to weep for all that had been lost.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**Six Months Ago…A Cry in the Night**

The fire crackled in the study, casting a warm glow on everything. Liam leaned back on the deep burgundy couch and kicked up his boots on the conversation table while Jareth cast him a sour look.

"Must you truly be so boorish?"

Liam cocked a half smile, his dark eyes gleaming with mischief "My dearest friend, we live amongst _goblins. GOBLINS. _Not particularly known for etiquette and propriety now are they? I would think you would be used to a little less than pristine behavior by now."

"Used to it yes, accepting of it, ah see there is the difference. If we allow ourselves to degrade to that point, my friend, then we are no better than those that we rule. Well in my case anyway. I forget, you dear friend are in 'exile'." Jareth returned the half smile and raised his glass to his friend.

"True enough, but they follow my orders none the less, and ah, she was worth the exile. And to this day I do not hear her complain one iota about it." Liam winked, raised his glass and took a long sip.

"Did I hear my name? Or at least the mention of myself?" Wren slid up behind her husband, allowing her hands to sink to his shoulders to rub the tension she knew was gathered there. She was a sight to behold, with striking green eyes and deep auburn hair flowing in gentle waves to her mid-back. She stood tall, her black leggings and white shirt standing out against her tanned skin. A former princess of the Ringland Fae, Wren had long ago fallen in love with a common general, Liam deNeral, first general of the Fae armies of Ringland. Her father, having already betrothed her to another, demanded she renounce her love. Quite simply, as those in love will attest, she could not, and instead, bound herself to him. If her father could have stuck her dead, he would have, but instead, banished her and her general from not only his, but all surrounding Fae lands. Jareth had welcomed the pair with open arms, an exile of the fae lands himself, his family had ruled the Labyrinth since any could remember – as it had always been, it would always be so. The Labyrinth was a home to those who had none, it took in all with the expectation that they abide the law and pay honor to its lord. Liam and Wren resided in the castle, he had become the general of the high goblin army and elite guard. Wren saw to the archery and horsemanship of the elven, lesser fae and humans of the army. Though a princess, she had learned to protect herself since she had been a child.

Coming to sit beside her husband, she leaned in and gave Liam a lingering kiss. Running her hands along the lines of his gray tunic, and he returned the kiss in full. She pulled away slowly with the promise of more to come written throughout her full lips and lidded eyes. She turned to Jareth, "Now what is it I have stumbled upon here?" The twinkle in her eye and raised eyebrow warned Jareth that he would be unable to side step this conversation and he looked deep into the fire. "Ah, the mornin, be that what you are discussin so secretively? Thirteen years on the rise of the EvenSun will have passed, the moon will once more shine upon you, my Lord. You will go to her, then, see her? She who is to be our queen?"

Jareth sighed, he would have loved nothing better – and these two were the only beings in all of the Underground to know of his love for the human girl, now a woman, that he had longed for since before he had known she even breathed. When Sarah had said the words, she had removed all wards binding her to the Underground. While not permanently, thirteen years was a long time, and the spell she had unknowingly cast, would end tomorrow – her ties to the realm of dreams would once again reassert themselves and Jareth would be free to once more offer her all that he could. Thirteen years past, however, their connections had been nearly completely severed. No contact, no sight, only the ward to protect her from those that would see her harmed to destroy the Underground. There were dark forces at play, and with her careless words, even if she had called to him, he would have been unable to hear it – the only 'sight' he had left where she was concerned, was knowing if she was in mortal peril. Jareth sighed again, and stared even deeper into the fire. The past thirteen years had been a nightmare. While Sarah may not have realized it, they were bonded, he had felt her from the time she was an infant, had felt his soul cry out for its missing half, and in his anxiousness to fulfill both of their dreams, he had driven her away. She was the vessel that held the other half of his very soul, and like it or not, they were bonded through the Labyrinth. "I do not know." He whispered into the fire.

"You can't be serious man! You do not KNOW?" Liam was on his feet and in front of Jareth in an instant. "Please my dearest friend, you must. You know the proph…"

"Do you think I am that naïve, Liam?" his voice was barely audible "I know it. I have read and re-read the prophecy a thousand times in the hopes to spare her for she so plainly does not wish to be here. Knowing that I must bring her here, fearing the rejection that will spell the end of all we know, I tell you it does not make going to her any easier, knowing what I must ask of her, knowing what her sacrifice must be."

"Jareth, my liege," it was Wrens soft lilt that brought Jareth back from the depths of thought. "You're of one soul, the other half of each housing the very essence of the Labyrinth itself. Without her, we die, our land, and it is ours as much as yours, will fall into darkness without her and you know this. She carries not only your soul, but the future of the Labyrinth. From the ages past we knew this time would come – we knew of what must be done. And while my father would wish nothing more than to see your Sarah deny you again or die at the hands of one of our enemies, it must not be. A war is coming to be certain my lord, and she holds the key to save us all. Go to her, not only to save your land, but to save your own heart. In my dreams I have seen her, your raven haired queen, every bit your opposite on the surface, burning with the same fire as your own soul, and I tell you this as a friend, she longs for all that she lost. She longs for you."

Jareth took his dear friend's hands in his own. Long had he sought council in those green eyes that saw more than the here and now. "I will go to her, as the sun sets tomorrow, I will go."

**xxxxxxxxx**

The rain pelted the outside with such ferocity that Toby thought it would come through the windows. He sighed and turned away and walked the short distance back to his bed and sat down. He smiled to himself. It was Friday. Sarah always came on Fridays to visit for hours on end, they would talk, play board games, eat the cafeteria food and comment on how it really was just dressed up cardboard. She made every effort to hold his world together. She was the reason he hadn't fallen into despair, hadn't fallen down.

Toby Williams was thirteen years old and in block D of the "Jefferson Institution for Troubled Boys", a kind of mental hospital for young men whose parents could afford to lock them away from the world. He sighed. This had been his life for the past three years. He was only thirteen, but he understood fully why he was here. His own mother couldn't bear the sight of him. He reminded her of Sarah, and Sarah was the reason, in his mother's mind, that his father had died, that his mother now lived in a one bedroom apartment and had taken to drinking. Sarah of course was not the reason, but after his father had died, Karen had needed a scapegoat for her anger – Sarah could leave, Toby had faced the full brunt of her alcoholism.

After his father had passed away four years ago, Karen Williams had taken to drinking and popping pills – finding it nearly impossible to cope with the death of her husband, her arrogant step daughter and her frightening little boy. Yes, frightening. At nine years old, Toby had laid crying into his pillow wish for anything to take the pain away – his father was gone, and with no one there as her advocate, Sarah had been forbidden to see her brother, forbidden to step inside the house. And Toby wished. And after he had said the words, things would happen, small at first, but with increasing clarity did Toby begin to see that there was more to this world than his young mind had once thought.

But what Toby didn't know was that the King of the Goblins had long ago fallen in love with his sister and had, by a very unfortunate circumstance, been denied the other half of his very soul, for at minimum thirteen years. So, with the ears of the wind, the king had heard every wish the boy made that night. As the wind howled outside, a crystal appeared beside Toby's bed, a crystal and red leather bound book. As the weeks grew longer, and Karen drank more, Toby became more than a nuisance to her. She demanded to know why on earth he continued to hide things from her, to turn on lights in rooms at random, to leave messes in the kitchen and bathroom. What she didn't know was that it wasn't Toby – it was the Goblins sent to ensure his safety, and to report if they knew anything of their kings chosen. In their boredom, and because of the general nature of the goblin race, they were prone to exploration and, well, general messiness. In a final fit of delusional rage, Karen had struck the boy hard across the face, drawing a thin line of blood, a small scar marring his angelic features still remained. Whether out of her own guilt or out of some misguided act of cruelty, she had the boy committed, locked away. The institution had not asked questions, they had taken the boy with her check, the last of her money to ensure that Toby Williams would be "well looked after". At first, she would visit him. In time, however, the visits grew fewer. He was a prisoner, but he had the crystal, he had the book, and he knew the name of the man who could save. Yet the goblins had whispered that it was not time, not just yet.

So here he sat, on his bed, staring into the crystal. It did not show him his dreams, it did not sparkle – it was simply a crystal, nothing more. He let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding and put it down. A furry four fingered hand rested on top of his for a moment, consoling him. Turning to look he found, as he always did, there was nothing there. He knew, could feel, had felt from the day he had wished for the pain to stop, the denizens of the Goblin Plain – the Underground. He knew, he knew in his young heart, he was one of them.

Toby stood and walked back to the window. The rain was coming down in sheets. It was 7:26. Sarah was late. His sister, his only family, was never late.

**xxxxxxxx**

Sarah sped down the curving road to the Jefferson, the hell hole her bitch step mother had locked her brother away in. The rain was coming down harder than she had thought, but it didn't matter any more to her, she had to get to the "hospital". Her Audi wasn't built for slippery roads, and the tires were sport and not all-weather, but she didn't care. Sitting on the seat next to her were her brother's release papers. After three long years of court battles, she had won her brother's custody. Her stepmother had lost. Sarah was given full custody of Toby in return for the remaining amount of money that had been left to her by her deceased father. And now, after all they had been through, their life could begin. It wasn't as though Sarah had much of a 'life' outside of work and her brother. She had never tried to really explore the more romantic side of life – things in her life had been too complicated, and for the past four years, between her father's illness, Karen's insanity and the fight for her brother, she hadn't had time, and she hadn't wanted to. Her weekends were for her brother. And now? As she drove elated at the promise of her future with her brother, she found that she didn't want anyone else – anyone other than the one man she could never have.

She wouldn't even think his name, the stabbing in her heart, that telltale lump in her throat reminded her of what she had done – reminded her that she had shut the door on him and all his promises – that she had had to – but it didn't stop the pain. She had called on him so many times, crying in front of her mirror when her father had been ill, and he hadn't come. She didn't blame him, why would he come to the woman who had left his castle a shambles and practically slapped him in the face? The others, they had come to her and helped her through it all – but he hadn't. Didymus had told her he couldn't – that the laws forbid it, but she knew in her heart it was because of her words, that she had shattered their connection, that she had lost him to the winds of forever.

She didn't know why it mattered so much – the rational side of her told her she had only known him less than 13 hours, that he was beyond her reach and should hold no merit in her life. But there was something primordial in her connection to him – something that went beyond rationale and reason. Any man she had been with, her heart rejected – no matter how handsome or kind – it was as if her soul wanted nothing to do with them, she didn't hate or dislike them – she simply felt nothing. After her first kiss, she had felt hollow, there was no magic, no tingling. She had fought the nothingness and when pursued by Jacob when she was 23, she had relented and dated for months, attempted a real relationship and had even gone to the point of trying to make their relationship physical after he doggedly pressured her for a year – but the nothingness was relentless, and in the end, she couldn't stand to be with him – it was as if her body had been sickened by the knowingness of the impending act, migraines and cramping and weariness, she just couldn't. She knew this was weird – and that she was the only 29 year old virgin alive by this point in the 21st century – but sex was the least of her worries, her father, her brother – and those had taken her time, consumed her, and sex, let alone relationships of any kind, simply hadn't been important any longer.

Her phone rang jarring her from her reverie and Sarah clicked on the blue tooth receiver, speaking into the dash of her car.

"Sarah Williams."

"Sarah, sweetie, hon, its Lexi. How are you? I just heard the news from Leila, she said you are on your way to pick up Toby for good? Is this for real?"

"Yeah, Lex, it's for real. We signed the papers today. I get Toby and Karen gets what is left of Dad's money."

The joke was on Karen though, Sarah smiled at the irony. Nearly everything had been used and paid to the lawyers she had hired to gain custody of her brother. Karen had been cut out of her husband's will completely – or his will had never been changed after he had married the harpy. And with her true mother long dead from a car accident involving paparazzi and her latest flame, Sarah had been the sole beneficiary. Regardless, Sarah had been given everything. 3,750,000. There was, ironically, about 500 left after Sarah had wisely donated the remaining money not touched by her purchase of her Bronx loft and the court costs to charity (an orphanage for abandoned children) just before the paperwork had been drawn up. Completely legal. It didn't matter, she didn't care about the money, she cared about her brother.

She had won, been given the news yesterday. She hadn't told Toby – she wanted it to be a surprise. Sarah had learned that with winning, there was always a price, but she let herself think that this one time, there were no strings attached – he was coming home with her. The windshield wipers splashed back and forth and she flew down the rural roads. The sun had nearly set, but she couldn't tell behind the darkness of the storm.

Sarah had taken the day off to adorn her kid brother's room and buy a ton of new clothes and enroll him in school and make doctor's appointments. She couldn't have been happier. She had left at the normal time on Friday, 3pm, to make it out into the country by 7:15. The rain had delayed her a bit but she was only about another 5 minutes away. It was 7:25.

"Sarah that's amazing! You want me to pick up Chinese and head to the loft? I would love to meet the little guy. I know how much you have been working for this. Damn Sarah, it's nearly killed you!"

"We won't get in till midnight or so, is that ok? Or we can just do Brunch tomorrow?"

"Your call hon – if you are gonna waver on the decision, then Kung Pow it is!"

"Sounds like a pl……"

"Sarah? Sarah are you there?"

It happened so fast, there was no reaction time. The lightning struck the tree, the tree fell and Sarah's Audi smashed head first into the trunk. The clock read 7:26.

**xxxxxxx**

At 7:26 a searing pain gripped the white owl that was crossing the plain to the Aboveground. Only a wish could take him there faster, Jareth's heart began to sink. The only ward had been triggered.

**xxxxxxxxx**

Toby saw the lightning and doubled over in pain. Something was wrong. Something had happened and something inside of him screamed in agony. His head pounded as the lightning and rain continued to beat relentlessly against the building – his sister, she was….no it couldn't. Fear and rage gripped his small body and he staggered to his bedside where the crystal lay, the same crystal from all those nights ago. It was warm to the touch, and inside it danced with a million sparks of blue light. If ever there had been a time to wish, it was now. Closing his eyes and breathing in deeply, he could feel a dozen small presences around him, staring up at him with longing eyes, could hear them whisper to him to call upon the one being that could help.

"Please," his voice felt so small to him. Steadying himself, Toby strengthened his voice and raised it with all of the strength of full grown man. "I wish to speak with Jareth, the Goblin King, right now."

Nothing.

Opening his eyes, Toby fell to his knees on the ground. His one hope, his only way to help his sister, a fantasy, a dirty myth. He refused to believe it. Refused! Enraged beyond his thirteen years, he grabbed the crystal again and yelled into the storm "I WISH THE GOBLIN KING WOULD TAKE MY SISTER AND ME AWAY, RIGHT NOW!"

The lights flickered and died.

The only glow in the room emanated from the crystal. But not the crystal Toby clutched, the crystal in the hands of the man before him.

"You're him." It was not a question. It was a statement. And Toby marched right up to him and looked him in the eye.

"I am." The cold mask on Jareth's face belied the euphoria that filled him. He had finally called.

"Why are you here? I asked you to take my sister away! She needs you! She needs help I know it. Please – I wish that you would take my sister away!"

"As you wish."

**xxxxxxxxxxxx**

Authorities would find a body thrown from the car the next day, and there would be no record of Toby Williams at the institution as though he had never existed. Lexie would mourn the death of her friend, Karen would continue to drink herself into nothingness and the Aboveworld would continue as if the existence of Sarah and Toby Williams had not meant anything at all. Because to the Aboveworld, they meant exactly that. Yet to the Underground, they were salvation itself.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Always has…**

Sarah's eyes fluttered open, she felt as though she had been hit by a truck. Her head ached, but with every second that passed, the pain literally felt as though it were subsiding. It was the strangest hangover she had ever had. She turned her head and glanced at the chair holding her little brother, sound asleep curled into a ball. At thirteen he was every bit the young man, but still the little baby brother she longed to protect. It's ok, she thought, he's home now with me. No more long drives, no more cardboard food. They were home. She sighed, contented that they would be ok, that he was out of that hellish prison and back at the loft….sleeping on a chair...with a fire crackling?…..reality slammed fast into Sarah, harder than any truck and her headache came crashing back at full force as memories ripped through her mind – the drive, the call, her custody battle, the accident – oh god! Where? How? She sat bolt upright and immediately regretted it as the blood pumped through her bruised head. With a sharp hiss, she laid back down. When she opened her eyes again, green ones were staring back at her.

"Hush yerself, now, m'lady, you don want to wake boy, now do ya?" a crooked half smile and long reddish hair greeted Sarah. Wren placed a cold cloth on her head. "Gave us a quite the scare. But you will be fine, a bit battered, and granted not exactly how we planned to meet ya, but alive and relatively well none the less. I've done what I can, and your body will take care of the rest, I promise. You have that one over there to thank for saving your life. Your brother that is, and well, you have another to thank as well. It's been a nearly a day, in and out, but I think I got ya back up."

Sarah's mouth hung open as the woman continued to dab the cloth over her forehead. "How did, I mean, who…A day? How is that even….Is he ok? Is Toby ok?" Desperation and panic were clear on her face, and a slight sweat began to break out as Sarah frantically glanced back at Toby, still sound asleep on the chair.

"I said hush, milady. You must rest and let your land heal yerself. Tomorrow, I promise, tomorrow it will all be explained. No harm will ever come to your brother, not while any here live and breathe. He is safe. Know that and rest now." And as the words were spoken, a thin thread of magic wove itself into cloth and made Sarah's eyes heavier than she knew they should be at that particular moment, but fight it she could not, and sleep over took her. "Rest now, my Queen, on the rise of the EvenSun all will be explained." Wren rose to leave the room when a small voice made her turn her head and step back to the bed.

"She'll be alright now?" Toby was nearly asleep as he asked the question, his eyes barely able to remain open.

"Yes my prince, she is doing well, and it is time for you to be to your chambers. You've hardly slept at all. Come." She offered Toby one of her hands and he glared at it, refusing to move.

"I'm staying here. It's my fault," he swallowed hard, "It's my fault she looks like that. It's my fault she nearly…..If I hadn't been so far…if she hadn't had to drive…"

"Stop that this instant." Her voice was not cruel, but it was hard and stern, and the look in her eyes belied no time for self pity. "You, Toby, are the reason she is alive. Not the reason she lies bruised. She breathes because of your love. She breathes because of you, and because of the King of this land." Taking a deep breath and moving to stand in front of him, she placed a soft hand on his face. "Toby, when the time had been right you knew what to do without hesitation. You saved your sister's life, and all of us have you to thank for that. You are a hero."

Toby looked at the woman in front of him and nodded slowly. Though her words would not relieve his guilt completely, they eased it.

"Come now, you must rest." And she wove the same small thread of magic into her words, "You see that door there, just beside the fireplace? Your rooms are just on the other side, we can even leave the portal ajar if you prefer." Nodding, the two made their way, Toby peering over his shoulder at his sleeping sister. Wren pulled back the coverlets, and he was asleep before she had even finished taking his shoes off and tucking him in.

"G'night ye both. May all who watch over us wrap you in their embrace." And she was gone in a puff of glitter.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jareth was beside himself with worry. His Sarah. Here. Asleep in the chambers he had so long ago prepared for her. She had been with Wren for hours, and the woman had barred him in his own castle from seeing her. He hadn't thought that there could be a torture worse than what he had endured for 13 years, but the last few hours had been a thousand deaths. He paced in front of the fire, his energy all but drained reordering the perceptions of the Aboveground. He sank to his chair in the study, it took every ounce of his will power not to go to her now, to see her and drink in her form, the image he had so long been denied. All he had now, etched into his mind, was her blood caked angel's face as he had pulled her from the car.

Liam poured Jareth a brandy and met him in front of the fire. "She is here now, Jareth and she will be fine. You have Wren looking after her. You need rest."

"How am I to rest Liam? She is here – not exactly how I planned to bring myself back into her life, but fate, well fate had other plans. Thank the Goddess for her brother, for the boy." Jareth took a long pull of the strong liquid and closed his eyes.

"Aye. It was good you had sent help to oversee him all those years ago." Liam stared long at his friend, debating what to say next, if he should even broach the topic. But his concerns would not be quieted, not with the nearing of the Solstice of the EvenSun and the summer festival. "Jareth, what if it wasn't fate?"

Jareth knew what his friend meant. And he had felt the tingle in the air when he had arrived beside Sarah, though he thought to dismiss it. Somehow, someone could have intervened, but the magic involved…and who knew of Sarah? No one. Only Liam and Wren, and that was beyond preposterous. But there was something in air, something had been amiss, though with all that had been happening, he hadn't stopped to wonder of it.

"What if, what if Eesha was behind this? What if she had found Sarah?"

"Eesha." Jareth spit the word with all the poison he could. "There is no way. How could she even know of Sarah?"

"You know the Wraithe have spies everywhere my King. And you know she serves their master. What if, what if they know?"

"Then we were given the gift of time this night, for Eesha, if it indeed was her, now believes my Queen dead." Jareth began to pace again. This did not ease his racing heart, but it did provide Sarah with safety, especially if all thought her dead. If indeed there were enemies about, they had to be careful. "But we must be sure. Keep all eyes and ears alert, and make no mention to any of our guests."

"Aye m'lord."

Unseen, Wren stood in the doorway listening. She quietly cleared her throat and both men turned toward her. She looked tired, but a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Jareth walked quickly to her, worry deeply etched into his brow. Before he could even speak, Wren stopped him, "She is resting now. She came awake briefly, Jareth, but she has been through much. In the morning you may go to her, but for now let her rest."

"And the boy?"

"He rests in the chamber adjoining hers. It took all I could to move him from her side. He loves her more than his own life, Jareth. It's his heart you will need to win over, I fear, more than hers."

"I should go to her…"

"You should rest. In the morning she will be ravenous, it may be a good introduction to bring her breakfast?" Wren said, knowing that no matter what she spoke of, her King would be headed to Sarah's rooms immediately after their conversation. "You two have much to discuss and much more of the future to talk about, all I can ask, Jareth, is that you take it slowly. You don't know how she will react to all of this. But trust her, and trust the boy. I have spoken to Elaina, she is having breakfast brought to the boy in his room, and will wake you a few minutes prior so you can join him if you choose."

Jareth nodded, thankful. There was a moment of silence, staring at the woman who had repaid her debt to him a hundred fold in her care and healing of his Queen. The gratitude of a King to a Subject could never be more, and he hoped that in his eyes, she saw that.

"My King," Liam said, taking his cue and coming up behind him, "If you need anything at all, Wren and I are here. Good night, and we will see you in the morning." He took his Lord's hand in his own, and then took his place beside his wife and the two were gone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jareth looked down at his sleeping angel. She looked at peace, so perfect. He dared not touch her, it may wake her, so he was content just to look down upon her. To take her in. It had been so long since he had be allowed to even gaze upon his love's countenance, so lost was he in her spell….

"She loves you, you know." Came a voice from the doorway. "Always has."

Jareth turned to meet the very sleepy eyes of Toby Williams. Strange, he thought, he could see the pinkish aura of Wren's sleeping spell around him, but he seemed somehow immune, if not completely, enough to have awakened him.

Without thinking, his voice soft, Jareth said simply, "And I have always loved her."

"Thank you, Goblin King. I owe you for saving her life. She's always been there for me, and I couldn't save her. But I brought you to her. And, and I know she loves you." Toby looked torn, between wanting to desperately trust the man before him, and wanting more to protect the only person in his life who had loved and protected him.

"Toby, tomorrow morning let's you and I talk over breakfast. Long ago you were under my care, and I swore then, as I swear to you now, that both you and your sister will forever be safe here, for as long as I breathe."

"Tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, tomorrow."

Toby stared at him for a good minute, judging him, watching him with his sister, then slowly turned back to bed.

Wren's words echoed in Jareth's ears as left the chambers of his beloved – "I fear you must win his heart as well" – how right she had been.

Tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**White Princess Black Ambitions **

From atop the tower of her castle, Eesha stared out towards the horizon, towards the land of the Goblin King, the man who had belittled and scorned her ten years prior, the man whom, while she could not love, she obsessed for. Every night she imagined the feel of leather clad hands upon her body, stroking her skin as one would their dearest love. The wind whipped her snow white locks and the chill bit into her cheeks, frosting them with the tiniest ice crystals, yet she felt nothing. Such was her curse. Her choice, her curse. Her beauty was renowned as legend in her own time, her full lips and ethereal lithe frame, all of it hid her cruelty, her heartless interior. She pulled her deep sapphire cloak tighter around her shoulders and smiled wistfully. He would be in mourning soon. In time, she would pay her respects when it was common knowledge that he was in mourning. Would he even remember her? So long ago had forsaken her family name, what was it now, three? Four years? To so many she was known only as the White Princess.

Her plan was taking shape. When it never came to common knowledge that he would be seeking a wife as his chosen one had passed away, she would send an emissary from the ice lands to seek his council and request a meeting. Ten long years she had tried to win his affections, gifts, promises, visits, nothing. Barely an audience. She had attended the galas and courts and dances – nothing. Nothing. Barely a look. And she had wondered why until her Lord had come into her life, had given her the reason the Goblin King had no interest in her. But now, now he would. She had been transformed, she was no longer that pitiful creature that had groveled at his feet and begged for his affection, had made her own dresses and been thrown out of the Fae Court, no longer was she the pathetic scullery girl gasping for a glimpse of him. She was the Lady Eesha, the White Princess, and she would take her rightful place beside her King.

It had taken her years to find the child of the Evensun, but found her she had, with the assistance of her Lord. And although Eesha, daughter of Lazaruss de'A'alth, could not cross over to the Above, she had been able to ensure the death of the daughter of the Evensun through a well purchased enchantment that had cost her much. The payment she would have to give waited for her even now in her bedroom. What was another small piece of herself now? What was another shred of her faeity when she was so close to her endgame? She stared out to the horizon, breathing deeply. Her King would be hers on the eve of the summer festival – _she_ would fulfill the prophecy, and he would be hers, as would all of the Underground, and she would be free of her master's choke hold. It was that simple, she thought, fingering the jeweled collar that encircled her neck. She had given him so much of herself already, what could he take from her now? In the beginning it had been her heart…then the luster of her hair…the color of her skin….the kindness…love…there was still enough of her left though that was Fae, she was not without her blood, the Fae half of her soul. She had paid for what she was and what she wanted with the part of her that was befouled by humanity. She was not his yet, and never would be. She belonged in her mind to Jareth. She was still beautiful, still had her soul, her graces…though she was far from what she had been born.

Eesha had not been born of powerful magic. Truth be told her father had not been anything special. Her father was a lesser Fae, skilled only in the weakest of magic – for growing his pathetic herbs, a filthy street vendor -, her mother, a foul human slave, had carried her nine months, given birth, and left her at her farmer father's feet and summarily died. Served her right, served all humans right. Disgusting animals. Eesha had been raised by her father, a callous and cruel man. As soon as she was able, he had put her to work to replace the slave in her mother that he had lost. At ten years of age it was apparent that she would be lovely, being half human, she aged faster than a fae. At thirteen, he had sold her virtue to the highest bidder, and proceeded to ensure that his best clients received her services as well as his, until she had run. Skilled as she was in herbs and gardening, she had found work in the capital city as a healer to a lesser Fae family. And then, twelve years ago, her eyes had fallen on the Goblin King, and as it had happened time and again with women throughout the realms, she had fallen in love. When by chance he had stopped at the family's home to water his horse during one of the hunts, they had chatted briefly. Thanking her for her kindness, the Goblin King had kissed her hand and proclaimed her the most lovely creature for miles, winked, and was gone. But that kiss, that wink, had grown in Eesha's mind like a festering wound, taking her over completely.

Her desire for more than she had been given in life, coupled with the fantasy of the roguish Goblin King, drove her to abandon the family she had come to work for to visit the outlying lands – she had stayed there for weeks, begging entry outside of the Labyrinth which would not yield its doors to her. When finally he had come to her, he had dismissed her as a child, told her to go home to her father. But Eesha understood that something must have turned his heart from her, and she did not blame him. How could she? She would once more win his affections, would once more be the most lovely woman in his eyes, once more feel his lips upon her. Eesha would have done anything for the Goblin King, he only needed to see it himself. Her resolve strengthened.

As she wandered the outlying lands, Eesha prayed. She prayed to whomever listened, prayed for him, for them. Her answer had come to her in a strange and knarled dream, a dream that beckoned her to pay a visit Lord Daviaen. On her knees, her chocolate hair falling to the ground, she had promised all she was and all she could be to have Jareth as hers. The Lord of the Wraithe smiled down upon her, his twisting kindness encircling her as a snake and took her chin in his hand and gazed into her eyes. Anything…His had had snaked out to her breast, and as if her skin and bone were but water, he reached through and withdrew the essence of love. A small glowing ember. Her payment had been her heart. In its place, Lord Daviaen placed a crystal of ice, the source of her power, and granted her lands at the north of his realm, she was to be his Lady of the Ice, his White Princess, to serve him unconditionally and without question, then he would give her the path to all she desired. She had agreed, and her once rich hair drained of its color, her deep green eyes became ice blue and her capacity for love diminished to nothing. Only her obsession with the King of the Goblins remained. Her father did not recognize the White Princess, but fell to his knees in awe of her beauty and begged the woman to let him give her anything, his home, his lands, his love. Without a mote of compassion, feeling not even disgust at the man before her, she killed him, assumed her new and true title, and left for the Lands and Castle she had been promised.

True to his word, Lord Daviaen told her of the little known prophecy of the mortal child who would be queen, a prophecy one of his spies had discovered thirteen years past when a certain mortal child had run the infamous Labyrinth – a prophecy that promised all the riches of the Underground to its named heir, or so his honeyed words had been spun to the wild eyed and desperate Eesha.. It had been all she had needed. Through scrying, spying, deceit and trickery, she had found the girl and had arranged circumstances just so, a triggered charm was all it had taken. But it had not been easy and it had cost her much, but it would be worth the effort.

Turning once more away from the horizon, away from her destiny, Eesha de A'alth, daughter of Lazaruss de'A'alth, Lady of the Ice Lands, the White Princess of the North and future Queen of the Goblin Lands, began the long descent down the tower to deliver payment to Lord Daviaen. What was one more piece of her soul?


	5. Chapter 4

The fire crackled in the study, casting a warm glow on everything

Chapter 4

**Beginnings **

Sarah stirred to the sound of laughter. Light flitted through the windows and danced across her face as she slowly came awake. Her memories from the night before, her conversation with woman with the green eyes came back to her. She was safe, Toby was safe, wherever they were. Where exactly were they? The room in all its magnificence certainly didn't look as though it belonged inside of anything short of a fairytale.

She sat up slowly, a headache still nestled securely behind her eyes. She was clothed in a long modest gown of pale blue, and a robe was laid on the bed. The doorway to her brother's room was open half way, and his sweet voice met her ears and coaxed a smile from her weary face. He sounded relaxed, happy. She shakily stood, tying the robe around her and took a deep breath. The other voice, that voice, it had haunted her for thirteen years. Her heart had broken when she had said the words, though she hadn't known it then, she knew it now, and that voice, that man, he had saved her life. She sat back on the bed listening for a few more minutes, tension building. She knew she should go to her brother, but fear gripped her. Was it some kind of obligation that had brought him to her? Some kind of strange hold that the Labyrinth held over her? He had come, but she couldn't, she would not allow herself to think that it was because he returned the feelings she knew lived so deeply nestled in her heart.

She closed her eyes and stood again, walking to the door. All of this was happening so fast and she had so many questions, but the only thing in her mind now was the two voices on the other side of the door. Slowly she pushed it open, the sight before her was welcoming, but she still didn't know if she should intrude. The two of them sat facing one another laughing, eating some kind of fruit and meat and egg dish on plates, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It struck her as funny how similar the two of them looked.

Toby turned, sensing another presence in the room "Sarah!" he jumped up and ran to her, wrapping his arms around her. She could feel him shaking and she smoothed his hair, whispering over and over that it was alright. Eventually he pulled back, wiping the tears from his cheeks with the back of his hand. "I was so scared, Sarah. So damn scared!"

"Toby…."

"I know but I was so scared. And I didn't know what to do. I could feel it, sissy, I could FEEL you dying! But he saved you, he brought us here and he saved you."

Up until this point Sarah's attention had been completely on her brother, so happy he was safe and alive. But as he pulled away and turned, Sarah's eyes met his. Her hazel eyes stared into his blue and green windows, eyes she had never expected to see again, and even if she had, never would have expected them to be open, pleading, frightened. Time seemed to have frozen for the two, as they only stared at one another. Toby looked between the two, from Sarah to Jareth back to Sarah and then to Jareth, and quietly sneaked out of the room. Besides there was a whole castle to explore. His sister was safe, the King had told him he loved Sarah, he knew she loved him, and there was a little goblin head poking around the corner anyway. Time to leave adults to whatever adults do.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Is Pike!" The small goblin squeaked as he and the pajama clad Toby walked down the hall. "Is You?"

"Is I what?" Asked Toby as they passed what looked like a giant library with a huge desk.

"You is not Pike. Is You what?" The furry little round goblin with the chicken feather headdress tipped his head to the side as if now his question made perfect sense. His dog ear resting neatly at his feet.

"He is the Toby!" shouted a slightly larger goblin wearing a bright blue jerkin as he came running down the hall. "The Toby is the The Sarah's brudder – amember?"

"You the Toby?" the little goblin stared in awe.

"Um, yeah, I guess I am"

"He the Toby that was heres afore! He the Toby that them other goblins awatched and taked care of."

"Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh"

At this point Toby was very confused and more than a little curious, but happy to continue to explore and walk with these two goblins were in complete awe of him.

"And your name?" He asked the very energetic goblin who had come running up.

"I's Sneal"

"Nice to meet you Pike and Sneal. Where should we head off to?"

Pike's eyes grew big and he started to wail.

"What did I say?"

Sneal, whose arm was around the very upset Pike, informed Toby that 'head off' was a term that something called the Fire Gang used and Pike was very afraid of having his head removed to be used as a ball in some kind of game. Toby quickly changed the wording and Pike bounced back as if nothing had happened, much to his amusement.

"You wants to see the garden? The kitchen? The boom boom room? The…."

"What's the boom boom room?"

The two goblins smiles mischievously and bounded down the hallway.

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	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Please

Sarah stared back into the mismatched eyes, they both stood mere feet apart, barely breathing. He was magnificent. Her dreams had not done justice to the man before her. A deep blue shirt open to mid chest loosely hung on his lean frame, his pendant reflecting the sunlight that played across his wild hair and seemed to add even more depth to eyes. Something inside her cried out in joy and pain – joy at being so close to the one whom she hadn't known she had loved, yes loved, and pain at being denied his touch, pain at not knowing how he felt, the stabbing, aching suffering passion. She would have died a thousand times for this moment, just to see him. So completely had she banished him from her thoughts, that this was not her mind though, how could she be feeling such things? It didn't make sense. True enough, she had longed for him, had called to him, had dreamt of and longed for him, how many rainy nights in the city had she sat by her window, staring out into the storm, praying for a white owl to fly to her window? How many stormy nights did she awaken to a tear stained pillow from a dream of dance never again to be shared? So countless were the nights by that same window that she had wished for his return – but hadn't it always been with the knowledge that he hadn't felt the same in return? After all, he had never come to her, not when her father had died, not when she had cried herself to sleep, not when Toby had been taken from her. Not once. So instead of dreaming her life away, she had buried him in her writing, in her stories. She wouldn't forget him, but she would make her dreams come true the only way she had been able. But now, standing here in his presence, dare she hope for a moment that he had come to her in, maybe not love, but certainly not in anger or resentment? Certainly if she was mostly healed and dressed in fine clothing and had been given a soft bed and Toby had been looked after, certainly this could not be some sick plot. Though if he was as cruel as he once promised, he could take it all away from her…the though caused her to swallow hard and bite back the growing fear that had knotted itself in her stomach. Please no. But, was it possible he would he have come to her in friendship? No even that thought brought a weight to her stomach that she couldn't bear. How could she return a friendship when she knew she had been missing the other half of herself her entire life? She wanted to shake her head clear, wanted a moment to clear her mind - How could she feel this, well, it was love, how could she love someone who she had known, barely known, for thirteen hours? Less if you counted the time they actually interacted! But she did, without rhyme or reason she did and she wanted nothing more than to be in his arms. It made no sense to her rational mind, but to her heart, it was clear. She loved him. She didn't know how or why or if her mind had somehow fabricated some romance for the past thirteen years. But his eyes…as she stared at them, please, she silently prayed, God please…

Jareth gazed into her eyes. It had been thirteen years since he had seen her in the flesh, though he had dreamt of her in every one of his waking and slumbering moments. Not dances or riding or government affairs took his thoughts from her. He had seen her in everything, the green of the trees, the laughter of a waterfall, the softness of his horse's coat, the love between his two closest friends – everything in his world spoke of Sarah, of his Sarah. Those eyes, those lips, Gods he wanted to run to her and hold her, to press his lips against hers and tell her that every moment apart had been an eternity, that without her in his life, he had forced himself to carry on with only the hope of her return – and it was only that hope that had sustained him, that some prophecy would grant him the eternal bliss that he would know in her heart. That hope had sustained him. He had, after all, a kingdom to run, and it couldn't be known that he had bound himself to a mortal girl who, though now a radiant woman before him, had denied him. Toby had said she loved him…dare he hope? Could it be possible that the Prophecy was stronger than even he knew? That they were of one soul? Dare he dream it? Framed in the doorway as she was, light streaming through the window, she was a vision, an angel brought forth by the fates themselves to end his suffering and grant him the love and salvation his cleaved soul cried out for. She was his, he knew this, but did she? Could she know? Could she feel the raw edges of his pain, only now beginning to heal from the salve of her mere presence? Oh to feel her skin, to hold her….please….don't leave me….please………

Unconsciously Jareth had moved to meet her in the doorway, only inches from her. She hadn't backed away, hadn't taken her eyes from his. He could see the purple bruises on her collarbone and cheek, faded though they were, he ached at the sight of his love's pain. He could smell her hair and feel her breath, it was too much. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead upon hers as she closed her eyes to meet him, tears running down her cheeks.

"Sarah…"

"Jareth…."

Unknown minutes passed where everything else disappeared. Slowly, the Fae magic emanated from Jareth, allowing Sarah to feel his thoughts, to know what he felt, to allow her to know by feeling what he felt – it was all he could do. He would bare his mind and soul to her and if she chose to run, he would know that his dreams were at an end. The Prince of Dreams would surrender to this woman, to what she would do – either accept or once more deny him. He prayed, and he knew, that she must take him to her. "She's always loved you, you know." Toby's words rung in his ears.

He felt her gasp a little in surprise. Was he wrong? Had he moved too fast? Would she turn and run from him? But his fears abated when she slipped her hands into his, holding them. Then it was his turn to gasp, as she somehow did the same, opening her mind to him and unabashedly showing him all she felt, all she suffered at the pain of his loss to her life. How she was able without any guidance he didn't know, but he didn't care, in that moment, he knew she loved him, just as the fates had foretold, she was the other half of his being, the promise he had dared hope be real.

"Sarah…" he whispered again, he voice barely more than a whisper. Sarah tasted his breath and raised her chin, pulling back so she could stare once more into his eyes. Her tear stained cheeks were the most beautiful thing Jareth had ever seen and he vowed silently to never see her cry again.

"Jareth…." Their lips nearly met, he could feel her breath upon his lips as he lowered his head, his body anticipating the first taste of Sarah's lips. Their lips nearly met, that is, but did not, as at that exact moment the very foundations of the Castle Beyond the Goblin City shook with a heart pounding 'boom'.


End file.
